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SPLENDOUR TOP 7
8:30pm, Sat 23.07
Review: Schuf and Alicia (brekky producer)
1. Sarah Blasko, Supertop
So I'm standing at the side of the Supertop, selling Jesus to Schuf, when I should be watching Sarah Blasko. The problem, as always is how to communicate bedroom thoughts to 3000 people. Sarah fails, but fails beautifully, throwing her band and herself at the back of the tent. But Schuf and I have world religions to chew over. "So Schuf, have I told you about the buddhist and the empty boat..." AB
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alicia brown, craig schuftan & anna burns |
2. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit.
I hear this coming from a tent at the beginning of the day.
"Wow, somebody's covering Smells Like Teen Spirit."
"Wow, they're doing it really, really well."
It is Nirvana of course, it's just somebody's warm up music, just some alt-rock to play while Athlete get ready to go on. But the song makes sense here. The way it flip flops from a satire on the lack of communication between rock bands and their audience, and the actual alienation itself says something that I will be trying to say to a variety of less and less interested people as the day goes on. CS
3. The search for the perfect shoulder bag
Sarah stops, the crowd moves away...and I go looking for the perfect over the shoulder bag. It happens every time. It could be the Big Day out, Homebake, Rockit or Splendour - but just before dark I always find myself shopping of all things for something, anything, to put my shit in. It's an excuse...I don't want to admit that I should be having a good time but I'm not. The spaces are just not small enough to make a connection with the music. The never ending search for a bag is meaningful for me in ways that Downsyde are not.
AB
4. Teepee
A moment of pure musical happiness, a true state of grace occurs by a teepee. Fantastic, nameless electronic music vibrates sympathetically with my hair. Here, the problems experienced by singer-songwriters faced with the prospect of hundreds of people they neither know or care about disappear with a bleep, as beautiful kids on drugs dance to things that sound like the mutated offspring of New Order's Blue Monday. Then the DJ plays Blue Monday, and I have to sit down on a rock.
5. Rock Hair Care
Three seconds of hair scare is all it takes to puncture through and drag me back into full festival mode. Shihad take the stage and for one terrible moment, as they fiddle with their instruments, I see a small skinny man in black, with no hair, brandishing a guitar.
John Toogood has cut his hair off.
It's because I'm so far from the stage I feel disconnected, it's because I'm so far from the stage I mistake no hair Karl on bass for long hair John...and in a very strange twist it's because I'm so far from the stage that I reconnect with the music. Shihad can make me care from 2000 punters out because their music is so loud and they play it like they couldn't care less. But my way back to the music was through the hair.
AB
6. Mercury Rev, Supertop
Music is bad for you, and festivals are worse. Music justifies all your worst behaviour in reverse, and makes you like (and give money to) people you would run a million miles from in what passes for real life. Festivals create a situation in which you want to get very close to these people, to be one of the lucky 40 out of 1400 people who get to hear a good sound balance, who get to look the singer in the eye. Further out, things get worse. But the worse it gets, the more you want ot reassure yourself, (and other people) that you had the best weekend of your life, that the bands you saw moved you like no one ever has before.
CS
7. Bar
I'm back. Shihad has hair and the Schuf is telling me about how Mercury Rev transcended the tyranny of distance so excitedly he spat on me. He cares, I care, we all care together in a big festival type way.
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SARAH ON THE BACKSTAGE ATMOSPHERE
7:00pm, Sat 23.07
Diary: SARAH BLASKO
Hello. My name is Sarah Blasko. I arrived at Splendour in the Grass in my private jet (otherwise known as a Tarago) at approximately 12:30pm today - awed by the sight of millions and trillions of people lined up down the road waiting to enter the festival grounds. The backstage atmosphere was one of excitement and anticipation. It is all a bit terrfiying back there - lots of serious people moving equipment around and speaking in various forms of technical jargon - stuff like "let's move the PA into the CV" and stuff like that! (he he!) I met up with some lovely young people who took some photos and then a nice girl gave me a bracelet made out of soy sauce take-away containers (you know, those little fish shaped plastic bottles) - very inventive I thought! Then I went and did some interviews - one with a little sweety called Robbie Buck from JJJ - he was a bit jetlagged and was looking very rock-n-roll in his new sunglasses! From there I went to the back of the stage where I was to perform and nervously awaited my own performance at 4:30pm. It is very nerve-wracking back there - you can hear the crowd breathing and they feel as though they may eat you alive... eeeek! Finally I entered the stage.... they ate me up and I enjoyed every moment of it! Love Sarah Blasko
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ANNA & NATHAN HAVE A CHAT
6:00pm, Sat 23.07
Review: Anna Burns (triple j) and Nathan Hudson (Faker)
NATHAN: I heard Futureheads on the radio driving to the airport and got all excited about seeing them at Splendour! BUT, I missed the 10:20am plane from Sydney to Ballina and ended on the 10:50am flight to the Gold Coast... After all that, I missed seeing the Futureheads (who apparently had lots of audience participation) and was really bummed.
ANNA: I got here too early and hung about with hours to kill while nothing was happening and al the other j-people were either working or sleeping. I did see the Futureheads and they were super cool. (Sorry Nathan!) The split harmony-crowd participation thing during 'Hounds of Love' was my highlight. I love that song! Need to learn the words though..
NATHAN: I haven't been to Splendour before and there's heaps of crazy stuff in the VIP bar - fake elephants, lanterns an carpets hanging off the walls. Nice touch.
ANNA: I haven't been before either! The beers in the VIP bar are well-priced, but sheesh! Look at those food prices! I'm particularly happy that I bought my gumboots because it's MUDDY. Sunny and dry, yes, but muddy.
NATHAN: I hear Sarah Blasko looked hot in her dress (from my friend Dan, who kindly picked me up from the Gold Coast and drove me here!! Nice guy.) 'Don't U Eva' was amazing. Blew the crowd away! Loved the way the audience were so excited about her.
ANNA: Considering the size of lines to go the toilet/leave here, I might chill a while with my luke-warm beer and wait til Ryan Adams is on. Tomorrow is looking ace - Interpol, Bloc Party and Caribou are all on and highlighted priority viewing. Must find myself one of those she-pee, pee-mate things and a nice quiet bush!
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CUT COPY
5:30pm, Sat 23.07
Review: Cut Copy
an unusual day...
we wake up in sydney, fly to byron still recovering from last nights show with Bloc Party.
Splendour kicks off with Futureheads - dan said "they were great - i love futureheads!!!!!! - they should have headlined - i am getting angry".
Hid our vodka in our dressing room so phil from grinspoon doesn't steal it.
drove around byron trying to find a place to stay - we learnt last year that sleeping on the beach is not cool.
some dancing hippies freaked us out with their marsupial dancing.
firing up the blowtorch in order to torch the stage at the end of our set (for dramatic effect).
currently:
dan: doing pilates
tim: on the lash
mitchell: waxing pubes with gaffer tape |
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TRIPLE J PROGRAM DIRECTOR
4:30pm, Sat 23.07
Review: Chris Scaddan
OK, so the funniest thing I've heard so far out the back is Athlete getting uptight and demanding room temperature water (they had recieved chilled bottles!). But that's really an anomaly, it's all very laid back at the moment. I met the Futureheads who were absolutley lovely - just happy to be in Australia in such great weather, as opposed to Newcastle (where they are from in the UK) where it is miserable in July.
Out the front, the first band, Atlantic, were pretty cool. Some nice punk sounds. They performed well and would have enjoyed playing at such a loud volume. The aforementioned Futureheads put on a great half hour set (listen out for that one as a Live At The Wireless soon).
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SCOTT DOOLEY LOGGING ON
3:30pm, Sat 23.07
Review: Dools
Scott Dooley logging on. I hope you're well, I am, well at least I thought I would be at this stage. The truth is friends, all's not been well. I saw an awful, awful sight today. And that was, real life hippies. Not hippies in the "Radio's the Doctor" style, "Don't eat meat, cow's have feelings too." No No No, this was tie dye, free love, I play the bongo's style. And the scary thing, they run Byron Bay!!
On the band front, you'll be happy to know that I've used some "Hocus Pocus" and managed to meet Patience from the Grates, she called me a weirdo, but there was a glint in her eye that said "If I was the last woman on earth, I'd probably let you down softly", and let's face it, that's a start.
Tofu, is good for nothing!!
I can't wait to see Queens of the Stone Age, they're fun yet depressing. I just watched my bowling team mate, Darren Middleton play in his band Drag, he's a nice chap, who seems t have a good understanding of the sweetest science, Bowls. I could see bad things for both Powderfinger and Drag due to the fact that the professional bowls circuit is destined to beckon this plucky young Queenslander.
I'm going to sign off because this is stupid and boring. I'll repost a few times during the weekend.
Adios!! And Thanks for the Tacos! You Filthy Monkeys!!
Dools
xoxox
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DECODER RING
3:00pm, Sat 23.07
Diary: The guys from Decoder Ring
we've just rocked up after getting into Byron at 4.30 am after playing in Brisbane. So Splendour just begins for us - and a sweet start with a dash of Futureheads to kick off proceedings. They caned it.
Looking forward to more bands at a Festival than I can remember - today QOTSA, Mercury Rev, Dexter DJing and Scribe just to mix it up. We play at 6.00 tonight which going to be a blast - and after time to get blasted as we've being locked in the studio finishing our next album right until we left to tour. So it's R&R from then on and tomorrow is nuts - Interpol, Bloc Party, Caribou are our must sees.
Go Splendour your rock - more grass, less tarmac = good times ...
x DR
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keep an eye out on the website for photos of their performance latrer in the day |
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DJ FROM DOWNSYDE DROPS BY THE TRIPLE J TENT!
2:00pm, Sat 23.07
Diary: DJ ARMEE AKA TONY SOPRANO
Yes yes all is looking great here at splendour 2005, after a sell out show in the gold coast last night we headed down to sunny byron for the festival of all festivals! The downsyde crew of 6 members are pumped as ever for the beautiful crowds of byron bay and packed with a truck load of funky hip hop shit for the people set to blow the roof of the mix up tent….chillin in the band room getting geared for the show and drinking up them fine brews and puffin them fine greens and cant wait to hit the stage…so peoples get ready for the downsydium idum spleandor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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keep an eye on Downsyde's artist page for photos later in the day |
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SPLENDOUR BEGINS!
1:30pm, Sat 23.07
Review: Web team
Yipee! The sun is shining and we're all on site in Belongil Fields. No one has started playing yet, but there's thousands of people on their way here. The entry queues are stretching back for meters. Looks like they're churning them through the gates fairly quickly, though.
Our phone connection is works (major plus!), but we're going to be updating this beast on a laptop on a 56k modem...aargh! Still, it's a thousand times better than being in an office.
MC Optamas from Downsyde will be our next blogger! We're hooking up with him at around 2pm, so perhaps log back on around then to find out what he's been up to since he got to Byron and check out some photos.
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BYRON BAY'S BUZZING
11:30pm, Fri 22.07
posted by: Priscilla (triple j web team)
Yee-har! After months of planning, we're here at last - a world away from the air-conditioned office - surrounded by lush scenery, fresh air, sunshine, and hundreds of people wandering around the streets of Byron Bay with smiles on their dials. What a buzz! The streets of Byron Bay are teeming. Cafes and restaurants are chock-a-block.
Just after we arrive, a few of us head off to the Beach Hotel to get some lunch and soak up the vibe. The beers were flowing think and fast to a relaxed and happy mob. Mmm..beer..
Then, at 2:55pm the rain came down as we made our way to Byron Bay Bowls club where Chris & Craig were presenting Today Today infront of over 400 people. But the rain didn't seem to have much of an effect on the crowd's good mood. The boys put on a very entertaining show, as usual.
Downsyde warmed up the audience with a 10 minute set. Then Chris & Craig unveiled their office renovation pranks to Robbie (whom, I have to say, took it all pretty well considering the damage! Perhaps too well?! I bet he's already plotting revenge. Let's just wait and see).
A Today Today OB wouldn't be complete without a nudie dash, and one of the audience members obliged, but unfortunately, Surly Matt wasn't in the right place to get a photo for you all to see (damn him!). While all of this was going on, outside, The Doctor, Dools and Darren from Drag played a game of lawn bowls in the rain against BB Bowls Club members. The boys totally looked the part in thier bowling outfits!
Now it's late and I'm back in my hotel room preparing for DAY 2 of the Splendour Weekender. I can't wait to get to the festival grounds. The rain's cleared up completely, so I trust that's a good sign for the rest of the weekend. But I did pack some gumboots just in case!
There's still heaps of people milling around outside my hotel room on the street, below. I'm sure there's more than a few hangovers in the making as I type. Until tomorrow!
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The Doc's taught how to bowl in the rain! |
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ONLY 2 MORE SLEEPS!
3:00pm, Thurs 21.07
We're getting pretty excited here at triple j about the Splendour in the Grass Festival this weekend.
We'll be covering the festival LIVE on this website - so watch this space for up-to-the-minute galleries, as well as backstage antics, a splendour diary with contributions from rockstars, presenters and punters and even some interviews.
Tomorrow the boys from Today Today will kick off the festival with a broadcast from the Byron Bay bowling club, so be listening from 3pm.
We'll also be broadcasting Bloc Party LIVE from the festival on your radio at 5pm on Saturday, so stay tuned...
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